This was achingly beautiful and sad. A book that reminds you of the fragility of human life and how special it is when you find a platonic or romanticThis was achingly beautiful and sad. A book that reminds you of the fragility of human life and how special it is when you find a platonic or romantic soulmate. ...more
This was mysterious and compelling, but it's tagged as a thriller, so I was expecting more tense, susRead for Waterstones book club pick for February.
This was mysterious and compelling, but it's tagged as a thriller, so I was expecting more tense, suspenseful scenes with a gothic gilded edge. We didn't really get many of those, and instead this was closer to dark academia, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping for more sinister eeriness.
At times, the atmosphere and character analyses took precedence over the plot, which, again, wouldn't be a negative, if the narrative didn't then try to convince us (towards the end) that more had happened throughout the story than actually did. Having said that, the final 70-90 pages were gripping, with some excellent twists. I predicted the final twist, but it was pretty satisfying when it came true.
It's also easy to tell that a lot of research went into this book; it shows in the realistic details of the tarot decks and the way the narrative gives reverence to history and academia. On the whole, I enjoyed this, though I wanted more punch from it. I spent most of the novel waiting for a sequence of dark and sinister events to start happening, and they never did....more
I appreciated the deep dive into the inner workings of several characters in this novel, but everything else was just bizarre. The scenes jumped arounI appreciated the deep dive into the inner workings of several characters in this novel, but everything else was just bizarre. The scenes jumped around randomly without giving a sense of the passage of time, and there was little cohesion between them. The characters all made strange choices and just did a lot of weird things. Probably not a book I'll forget for a while, but not for the right reasons. ...more
Don't let the title deceive you, this isn't about mermaids at all. The story follows Summer, a young woman in her 30s, who loves dancing. Summer's issDon't let the title deceive you, this isn't about mermaids at all. The story follows Summer, a young woman in her 30s, who loves dancing. Summer's issue is that she started too late to become a professional dancer, but enjoys dancing too much for it to be a casual hobby, which leaves her in limbo, trying to decide where to go with her passion, and searching for the perfect partner.
The book has a melancholic feel to it, which becomes even more prominent when you consider that this was the author's last novel before she died of cancer. Lee seems to ask us if there's any point in practicing a hobby or passion so diligently if the end result isn't becoming a professional/expert at it? To me, the answer is always yes (because hobbies enrich our lives in so many ways), but I can see how the main character struggles with feelings of emptiness and inadequacy because of her hobby. Would she, then, be happier if she just stopped altogether? This is one of the main questions of the novel, and it's especially poignant when we consider the people around her who (the men in particular) are often pretty horrible and thoughtless.
Overall, this is a thoughtful character study and a book that asks: what do we do when faced with mediocrity, after being socialised into thinking that we have to achieve the highest standards?...more
This was such a lovely, lyrical story with some wonderful, poignant moments that really tugged at my heart. It's very much a slice-of-life story, focuThis was such a lovely, lyrical story with some wonderful, poignant moments that really tugged at my heart. It's very much a slice-of-life story, focusing more on characters than plot, but it has a gentle nostalgia to it that gives the narrative a sun-drenched, "hazy days" in Japan quality, which I loved. Bonus points for how much it made me miss Tokyo and the fact that I thought we were heading towards a sad ending, but instead we got a hopeful, uplifting one. ...more
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an audiobook copy.
I thought this was going to be strange and whimsical, a bit of a cross betweenThanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an audiobook copy.
I thought this was going to be strange and whimsical, a bit of a cross between Fleabag and Starstruck, but instead it was quite dark at times and quietly unsettling. The unnamed cleaner forms parasocial relationships with the people who work in the office during the day time, inventing personalities and hobbies for them and interfering in their daily tasks. (Moving things around, binning important documents, and hacking in their computers.) If she perceives a slight from one of them, she punishes them by not cleaning their workstations properly, or making them dirtier (putting mayo on the back of one worker's desk drawers).
The first half of this was slow and a little repetitive, but I can see how it worked to build a picture of the Cleaner's routines and her view of the various office characters. Some of the descriptions of the things she has to clean are pretty grim (and gave me the ick), but I should have probably expected that from a novel about cleaning.
In the second half of the novel we see the cleaner discovering a secret about the CEO and trying to use it to help someone close to him. There was so much build up to the reveal of the secret that I thought it was going to be dramatic and damaging. Instead, it falls pretty flat. (I was expecting something dark and atrocious and instead if was pretty run-of-the-mill.) Having said this, the curveball in the final few chapters was pretty good as we get to see the cleaner's expectations of everyone around her turned upside down. This is a good character study, but I think it had the potential to be so much more and would have been an entirely different novel with more satirical humour. ...more
This was a lovely, slice-of-life story about Yeongju, her bookshop, and the people around her that start to become a bookshop faBuddy read with Cami.
This was a lovely, slice-of-life story about Yeongju, her bookshop, and the people around her that start to become a bookshop family. The story had some really insightful discussions around reading, finding happiness in the small things in life, work/overworking, and growing closer to people, and I loved some of the messages that different characters expressed through their conversations with one another.
This is a character-driven story and it was satisfying to learn more about each character through their different interactions, and watch them have realisations that improved their lives. I felt relaxed and comforted reading this, and I think the author achieved their goal of creating a safe space that people could escape into, through both the book and the bookshop itself....more
I listened to this on audio and it just wasn't for me. The pacing was very slow and the narrative repeated the same sorts of structures again and agaiI listened to this on audio and it just wasn't for me. The pacing was very slow and the narrative repeated the same sorts of structures again and again, getting bogged down in the small details of the protagonist's thoughts and extrapolating them across pages when a paragraph or two would have sufficed. I also wasn't a fan of the lack of character names. I know it was an intentional choice (likely to explore the idea that this could have been almost any family in Ireland in the 1970s), but it made me feel really disconnected from the characters as a result....more
Heart-wrenching and illuminating in equal measures, this is a story that feels vast and deep in both the amount of time it covers and the emotional hiHeart-wrenching and illuminating in equal measures, this is a story that feels vast and deep in both the amount of time it covers and the emotional highs and lows of the main characters. I picked this up on a whim, but I'm so glad I did and I'd highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys stories that span the full lives of the protagonists and make you feel like you've lived their lives with them....more
This was a truly excellent, powerful piece of fiction, but wow that ending absolutely knocked me for six. I wasn't expecting it and it hit hard. But tThis was a truly excellent, powerful piece of fiction, but wow that ending absolutely knocked me for six. I wasn't expecting it and it hit hard. But this story is based on real events, so I can see why the author made such a bold choice, and I applaud her for it.
Content warnings for racism and xenophobia, sexual assault, human trafficking, violence, murder, and hate crimes. ...more
Thanks to Libro FM for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for a review .
This was such a compelling story with great writing and so much heThanks to Libro FM for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for a review .
This was such a compelling story with great writing and so much heart. I really liked Maddie, she felt so realistically flawed and nuanced and you could tell from the author's writing how much they care about her as a character. Even though she made mistakes and poor decisions, I couldn't help but root for her, and I was so pleased when she finally stood up for herself and spoke candidly to her mother and brother about their absentee behavior.
Content warnings for death of a parent, grief, abandonment, racism, emotional manipulation....more
This book is a blend of the present storyline, where the protagonist and his partner are telling each other stories as they travel, and the stories anThis book is a blend of the present storyline, where the protagonist and his partner are telling each other stories as they travel, and the stories and folk tales themselves. From what I've read on the author's website, it seems like some of the sections of this novel were originally standalone essays or short stories, but they work well weaved together in this novel.
There's an emotional distance between the main character and his lover that, somehow, feels even greater than their physical distance when the lover disappears from time to time. This is is offset by the stories they tell each other, which the protagonist seems to use to try and bridge the gap between them.
He seems to find more meaning and solace in these stories than she does, spending much of the book analysing the meaning of each tale. His lover engages in analysis too, at times, providing insightful counter-arguments, but she sometimes just gives a flippant or dismissive answer that makes it seem like she doesn't appreciate the time he spends unravelling these tales for her. But perhaps this is just part of her to-the-point, almost brusque personality.
I really enjoyed the examination and critique of different media throughout the book because the author goes into so much detail on each film, piece of art, or book discussed. The criticisms of the way white Westerners thoughtlessly apply western ideals and thinking to Asian cultures, often missing the nuance of these cultures entirely, rang especially true. Overall, a thoughtful and deeply analytical book, but perhaps not one that everyone will enjoy.
Content warnings for racism and xenophobia. ...more
Kate (Reading Through Infinity)
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